South Park Mall: Charlotte, NC

Mall builders in Charlotte seemed to have a penchant for naming malls after cardinal directions.  South Park was the first, but it was soon followed by North Park, West Park and Eastland Malls.  South Park is also the city's leading mall offering a high-end shopping experience unmatched elsewhere in the region.  In the South, luxury malls are hard to come by, and even large cities like Nashville have been slow to get one of their own.  Atlanta set the standard with Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza in the 1970's, but Charlotte's own started out as a more conventional center than today.

When South Park opened in 1970, it was a T-shaped mall with Charlotte standards Ivey's and Belk facing each other divided by the a long hallway with a fountain court in the center.  This fountain court is where the longer Sears wing made a junction to form the long part of the T.  The mall was far from conventional, however.  Belk established its flagship store at the mall with more upscale Ivey's also donning their best.  South Park was also the largest mall at that point, eclipsing all of the tiny malls dotting the city.  While those older malls were more community oriented, this was the first mall to truly phase out downtown.  The leading mall, Charlottetown, was no match to the center. What makes all of this strange, however, is the fact that South Park is unlike most any other mall: located nowhere near any interstate or major thoroughfare.  In fact, it is rather hidden, situated at the intersection of two local roads: Tyvola Road (City 4) and Sharon Road.

Four images of South Park's famous center court fountain.  It has been modified three times since it was opened, though I am unable to provide the second version.  The second version took up much more of the court and was actually the most attractive, though the first version was the most elegant.  The first photo of the original fountain comes via Malls of America/Keith Milford.

Early South Park Mall was far from dumpy.  It brought a certain level of elegance that only Charlottetown ever approached.  A huge champagne glass fountain flanked the center court, stylish late-60's decor was found throughout and all of the best stores located there.  Considering the similarities of Charlotte to Atlanta, South Park was essentially an enclosed Lenox Square that came 11 years later.  Like Lenox, it also had some years where it fell briefly out of prominence as well.  The opening of Eastland Mall in 1975 stole some of the mall's thunder, but time proved that South Park was the one with the lasting power.  While Eastland will be closing forever in a week from this post, South Park is the only mall in the state to offer two luxury department stores.

Court area outside of Nordstrom.  This portion of the mall was built after 2003, but architecturally matches the rest of the center.  The escalators connect to the parking deck and is not mall space.

A view of the Nordstrom mall entrance.  This photo looks like a canyon...something malls used to capitalize more on.

Another view of the Nordstrom court.

The morphing of South Park into North Carolina's top mall came slowly.  The first big change came in the late 1980's with a full scale renovation in 1986.  While the hourglass fountain was replaced, the surrounding mall received a more elegant treatment than its original minimalist design offered, though much of that has again been stripped away.  Along with this, the mall also gained a new anchor: Thalhimer's of Richmond, VA.  Thalhimer's formed a new wing off the north side of the Sears wing bringing the anchor count to four.  Four years later, Ivey's was converted to Dillard's.  This was the first original anchor to leave when that occurred.  Thalhimer's opening was the first time the chain opened in Charlotte, but it would prove to be short-lived as Hecht's took over that spot in 1992. 

The mall's skylights are done in a style I have never seen before, but they look like this throughout the entire mall.  It is not that I don't like it, because I do.  It's just that there is too much of it.  The best way I can describe it is like being on the lower level of a double-deck viaduct.  This is along the newer Belk wing...not the original.  Belk has two entrances.

Belk mall entrance on the newer wing, which comes off of the Nordstrom wing.  These courts maintain a late 60's/early 70's feel to them.

This court area is found at the junction of the Nordstrom wing and the long T part of the mall that used to end in Sears.

The 90's would prove to be a relatively stagnant period of growth for the mall.  Eastland was still going strong, and the mall would face increased competition with Carolina Place Mall drawing south side customers.  However, Charlotte was also seeing a period of boom with significant growth, which helped to increase the wealth and prominence of the area.  Since 1990, the city has nearly doubled in population.  While this has led to continued expansion of retail across the city, this also led to major changes to the mall itself starting in 2002.  These changes have resulted in a mall significantly different from the original mall, and they have also turned South Park into a major destination for shoppers in the Carolinas.

Along the base of the T (old Sears wing) headed toward the center "fountain" court.

More detail along the same area.

Dillard's mall entrance, which forms the north wing from fountain court.  This opened as Ivey's originally, and is original to the mall despite the fact that there is no resemblance to the original store.

The first change to occur was the closure of Sears.  It is not clear why Sears left the mall, but they closed their store there by the end of 2002.  After it closed, the store was demolished and replaced with a small outdoor wing.  In this wing, a Galyan's (now Dick's) Sporting Goods as well as Joseph-Beth Bookstore flanked a new outdoor courtyard on the west end of the mall.  About the same time, the first major expansion since the 80's also commenced as the mall was expanded to include a new Nordstrom.  This new store coupled with a new wing and new parking deck upscaled the mall significantly.  On top of this work, the mall was again renovated...this time, in the typical Simon fashion which has resulted in a mall that is really too basic to be as upscale as it is.  Simon similarly did this with Lenox in Atlanta.

The mall extends briefly east of fountain court, and an open air wing was added just outside featuring trendy restaurants.  While very nice, it was hot out here.  Smokers took advantage of the spot.

Here is the original Belk mall entrance, which I believe was done this way in the 1986 renovation.  As Belk's flagship, elegance was paramount.

Macy's forms the northwest wing catty-corner to the Nordstrom wing.  This wing is the least elegant.  The store here opened as Thalhimer's in 1986 later operating as Hecht's from then to 2006.  Rich's considered once opening in Charlotte, possibly at this mall, so Macy's fits.

The next change to come to South Park would place the mall on par with Atlanta's finest.  This was when construction began on a new Neiman Marcus store.  Completed in late 2006, this addition converted the Queen City's first major mall into not only the most upscale, but also the state's largest mall, though that was actually achieved when Nordstrom was added.  A free-standing huge two-level Crate & Barrel (not pictured) was also built across from the mall on an outlot during this time.  The unfortunate part of this process was that the owners were apparently ashamed of having any 1970's elements remaining at the mall.  This meant that the distinctly designed Dillard's, which opened as Ivey's, was gutted and replaced with a conventional Dillard's.  Belk likewise renovated its appearance to modernize its flagship.  It also appears that the Macy's (then Hecht's) was re-faced to modernize the appearance.  In fact, shoppers that visited the mall 20 years ago would recognize very little.

The food court was very nice.  It is situated in front of where Sears mall entrance used to be.  It is now an entrance to a second outdoor portion of the mall.

I am unsure if this is outside of Macy's or if this is part of the old Sears wing.

Dick's Sporting Goods outside of the food court, which opened in 2003 as Galyan's Sporting Goods.  Galyan's was sold to Dick's in 2005.

South Park Mall had a tragedy in 2007 when a woman drove into one of the new parking deck supports.  The collision caused part of the parking deck to collapse destroying two cars and killing the driver.  Issues were made about the construction of the deck especially after a major collapse occured at a similar designed deck in Atlanta in 2009.  The deck has since been repaired.

In the same fountain as the last photo with Dick's, I am looking back at the mall entrance.  Eight years ago, I would be standing inside Sears.  California Pizza Kitchen, one of the many restaurants attached to the mall, is on the left.

Joseph-Beth Bookstore is situated to the left of Dick's.  I have never heard of this store before...is it local?

In so many ways, Charlotte reminded me of Atlanta in my childhood: about where it was in the late 1980's.  It has big buildings in the core, a big city attitude but is still small enough to be bearable size and trafficwise.  This is definitely the appeal of it, and is probably why the area has attracted enough wealth to create a mall like South Park.  Still, I am a bit disappointed about the way South Park looks.  I think despite what it has to offer, it could be far more elegant like Phipps Plaza.

Neiman Marcus is absolutely unparalleled in their elegant modernist design they used here.  This is possibly one of the most beautiful department stores I have ever seen.  Too bad Dillard's ripped off their original facade, because it would have fit in well with this store.

Note the original Dillard's, which opened here as Ivey's.  It is distinct, and while outlandish was elegant for the 70's.  Photo is by cantnot via LiveMalls.

Dillard's today.  Aside from the very unusual (for 2006) mansard roof, this is a boring Dillard's clone.

In terms of upgrading the mall, I tend to think two areas need attention: adding a second level to part of the mall and upgrading the court areas.  I think posh courts with elegant touches, flowers and distinct skylights in front of Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom with escalators climbing to a second level mall entrance would make access easier and improve the appearance of both.  Likewise, I believe part of the original mall should become two levels with subdued but unique skylights connecting Dillard's and Belk complete with a reconfiguring of the signature fountain so that it shoots to the new second level.  Perhaps multi-colored glass in the skylights in the main court would make it really stand out.  Maybe the skylights along each part of the mall could be a different color.  It seems to me that the mall needs these changes to make it more distinctive, because no part of the mall really has any focal points or presence.  I also think that these improvements should look entirely different from the rest of the mall much in the way Mall of Georgia has different themes for different parts of the mall.  How could this be done to represent the culture of Charlotte and North Carolina?

I wonder how this store originally looked, because clearly this Macy's store looks newer than 1986.

Nordstrom from the parking deck.  Sadly, I somehow forgot to get pics of the Belk from the outside.  South Park was actually not my priority in this trip, but I did have to see it.  What I liked about it, though, was that it was like Lenox without the level of pretension.

Overall, the South outside of Florida and Washington DC lacks truly quality malls.  South Park is one of only five malls offering true upscale shopping anywhere in the South.  The only others are in Atlanta, Birmingham and (soon) Nashville.  It is truly impressive how much South Park has improved and expanded over the years, and this is even more true considering that no other mall this successful has been so far removed from major highways.  It was pretty obvious when I visited that shoppers arrived from miles around to shop at stores unavailable elsewhere.  Nevertheless, I think that this mall could stand out more.  Between the generic remodels of the original anchors and the simple design on the inside, without Neiman Marcus the mall looks very basic.  Still, malls like this prove when a city's progress has reached a certain level, and this mall is an effective symbol on Charlotte's progress toward becoming a major city.

MORE: Much, MUCH more on South Park can be found on Steven Swain's Live Malls blog.

Phipps Plaza: Atlanta, GA

Phipps Plaza is the kind of mall that is not found in most cities, especially not in the South: a truly upscale mall with upscale stores intended for the upper class and very wealthy.  Opened in 1968, this posh mall originally served as sort of an outpost for Manhattan shopping.  When it opened, its original anchors were Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue.  The original mall was quite small, but it had two levels and served as an elegant supplement to Lenox Square whom at the time had only local stores Rich's and Davison's.  Undoubtably, the presence of this mall has helped establish the Buckhead community of Atlanta into what it is today: the wealthy part of a major city.  Its location on Peachtree Road (SR 141) off of the GA 400 toll road sits in the middle of the premier shopping district of the city, which has overall grown upward over the past decade.

Phipps Plaza has stores in the mall not found elsewhere in the city.  Phipps and Lenox Square are both owned by Simon, so their owner sees fit to make sure that each mall is in its own niche.  Lenox is more of a designer showcase, featuring concept stores from major designers and only recently has the mall turned completely upscale.  Phipps, in contrast, holds to its status as New York, Jr. with locations of exclusive stores such as Barney New York and Tiffany's among its tenant roster.  Armani, Gucci and Versace also are found among the clothing stores in the mall.  A $1000 shirt can definitely be found in this mall.

A view of the upper and lower level Saks Fifth Avenue mall entrances.  The upper level was extended into the mall, creating an overlook inside the store that looks extremely elegant from the bottom level.

The center court of the original mall is unbelievably posh.  That is a Bentley on display on the bottom level.  I know of no other mall with a winding staircase, and that ceiling treatment looks like it would fit in the Biltmore House.  Let nobody deceive you on what an "upscale mall" really is.  THIS is upscale.  I have not been in any other mall that deserved that description.

The other mahogany escalator also has access to the parking deck below, including a hidden fountain at the base.  It almost seems from some angles as if the escalators drop down into an underground lake.  Was this parking deck constructed under the original mall AFTER it was built?  If so, that must have been quite a feat.

A view along the second floor of the original two-level portion.

Up and down escalators from the bottom level to the upper level of the original two-level portion.

I was a bit intrigued by the design of this specialty children's store.  The tile treatment on the floor is very similar to the Lorch's shop pictures in my photos of The Mall in Huntsville in an earlier post.

While Phipps started out small, the mall undertook a major expansion in 1993, adding a new three level wing, parking deck and a new anchor, Birmingham-based Parisian.  This expansion directly coincided with the grand opening of the last section of GA 400, directly connecting Atlanta to the wealthy suburbs northward.  When it opened, Parisian essentially created a flagship store at the mall for the store in the city.  The expansion also gave the mall a 14 screen theater and a new food court, which offers more fast casual dining such as Moe's Southwest Grill and Johnny Rockets in comparison to the typical mall food court.  The expansion also created a series of escalators that is not for those with vertigo.  With three levels of parking deck underneath, the escalators going up to the third floor and theater climb six stories with open sides.

This mall map explains the odd configuration of the mall.  The part on the right was the original mall, and the portion with Belk and three levels was the 1993 addition.

The mall also features many elegant touches not found in the usual mall such as a winding staircase in center court, elegant trim and flooring and a huge chandelier in center court.  Instead of Toyotas and Fords, cars on display in the mall included a Bentley and an Aston Martin.  The mall also has two upscale restaurants, The Tavern and The Grape, both of which draw huge weekend crowds.  In addition, one of the few remaining locations of The American Cafe, formerly known as Silver Spoon, is found on the Parisian wing.  Aside from upscale tenants, a few more mid-market tenants are in the mall as well such as Talbots, and the mall also features some tenants typically found in lifestyle centers such as Chicos and Coldwater Creek.

Gracefully ascending escalators like steps lead up to the Belk (former Parisian) in the three level portion.

Looking back down from the third floor.

This fountain is found in the main court on the three level wing near Belk shown in the first photo.  An identical fountain is on the opposite side of the court beneath the mahogany elevators.

A view of the three-level court from the second level.  The lights at the top are the food court.  The fountain pictured above is at the bottom.

Another view of the escalators to Belk pictured above.

Phipps Plaza never saw any anchor changes from when it opened until more recent times.  Troubled Lord & Taylor started it when they closed their location at the mall in 2005.  By the time it closed, the store was actually looking rather dated inside, and it showed the signs of a poorly operated store that had transitioned from upscale to frumpy mid-market under its then-owner May Department Stores.  It took no time at all, however, for Nordstrom to open up their third Atlanta location at the mall the following year.  Nordstrom renovated the store before they opened it and brought class back to that end of the mall.

A look at the lavish mahogany elevator and three levels.  The top level is the AMC theater, the middle level goes to American Cafe and the bottom level goes to the south mall entrance.

Looking toward the AMC theater and the down escalator to the second floor.  This escalator well drops down five floors to the parking deck level, and it is not for those with vertigo.

The American Cafe, known originally as Silver Spoon, seems a bit inappropriate for the mall, and it seems to be one of the few locations left.  It is owned by Shoney's, but it is one of three restaurants in the mall.  The other two are Grape and Tavern at Phipps, both far more upscale and very, very popular.

In 2007, Belk bought out Parisian, and they became the second anchor change in the mall when Parisian was converted to Belk.  Belk's entry was very controversial as the owners saw the store as too downscale for the former Parisian.  Belk, unlike other department store chains, has a three-tiered system of stores if A, B and C stores.  "A" stores are upscale, "B" stores are a cross between Penney's and Macy's and "C" stores are basically Penney's with a Southern touch.  Occassionally they run A-class stores, which are stores somewhat equivalent to Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's.  The problem is, Belk doesn't have many A-class stores, and this is the only one they currently operate in the Atlanta market.  Their failure to run a similar A-class store at North Point Mall led to its closure in September.  Nevertheless, the store has proven successful and operates as the Atlanta flagship.  Of course, most of us do not understand why they could not have just kept the Parisian name for their A-class stores to make it more clear which is which.

Belk (former Parisian) mall entrance from the second level.  I know this is an upscale A-class Belk, but it still doesn't feel right.  At the time it was built, even Parisian was viewed as somewhat too downscale for the mall.

Three levels of escalators inside the Belk.

Phipps today remains a popular mall, but Atlanta has had much trouble as an up and coming city trying to join the ranks of New York and Los Angeles.  Since a lot of the money is new wealth, and much of that wealth was centered around the building industry, undoubtably this is putting a strain on the higher end retail of the mall.  Even worse, Saks Fifth Avenue is struggling and Nordstrom also has rumors of troubles as luxury spending is the most directly affected by the deepening recession.  Even those with six figure incomes might be thinking twice about a $2000 outfit if they see layoffs or bankruptcy in their future.  Quite a few millionaires in the Atlanta area have lost it all practically overnight betting too high on sprawl development.  Whether this will affect the mall in the future is yet to be seen, but for right now the mall looks like it is still doing well.

The Nordstrom mall entrance is located in the older two-level portion, and it bears no resemblance to its former Lord & Taylor entrance.  I was in Lord & Taylor here once probably around 2001 or so.

Overall, Phipps is a very fascinating place with one of the best mall designs to ever come out of the 1990's.  Even if those visiting cannot afford much of the merchandise, it is still worth seeing it just to see a truly elegant mall with all sorts of special touches.  If nothing else, just go and check out all the different levels and catch a movie there.  This is what is fun about covering malls across Atlanta is not only the sheer size of most of the malls, but also the wide variation of malls from small and old to large and elegant.  Phipps Plaza is one of a kind in the South.  None of the other major cities in the South has anything like this aside from South Florida, which is why I am glad to feature this mall for the first time.

 

Two views of Saks.  The first is a modified 1993 stucco facade, while the second maintains some of its original 1968 design.  Honestly, the second design looks quite classy and more noticeable.  Modern architecture in the 60's was far more stately than its more brutalist variations in later decades.

Nordstrom is a hybrid of 60's and mid-00's architecture.  The store entrance was completely reconfigured whlie the rest of the building is pure 60's on the exterior.  The two styles do not clash at all unlike most "upgrades".   The store as a Lord & Taylor did not exactly look bad, but a bit more plain.

 

Belk has no 60's pretenses.  It is a bulky structure with a more 90's industrial design complete with a mixture of brick and mildewed stucco (part of why I loathe stucco).  At the time if was built in 1993 as Parisian, retro facades and matching contemporary design to its vintage was definitely not in vogue.